, 1887-07-26
STRUNG UP.
A Nebraska Murderer Lynched
by a Mob
For Killing His II Year Old
Daughter.
He Dies with a Curse Upon
His Lips.
A ebraska Lynchlng.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb., July 20
About 4 o'clock Sunday morning a moi
broke into the county jail at this place and
took therefrom a condemned murderer,
Lee Sh~ellenberger, and lynched him.
This action was no doubt caused by the
fact hat a few weeks ago Quinn Bohan.
non, another condemned murderer, was
assisted to escape from this same jail
through the connivance of one of the as
sistant %iallers, it is alleged, and is still at
large. The assistant jailer is under ar
rest.
David Hoffman, who was legally exc
cuted at Nebraska Cily last Friday, made
an ante-mortem statement that he saw the
assistant jailer let Bohannon out of Jail.
All this excited the former neighbors OF
Shellenberger, and for two or three
nights the past week there had been in
timations that they intended to lynch him
in order to prevent his being let out like
Bohannon.
Just before midnight a mob of deter
mined farmers from the vicinity of Shell,
lenberger's former home marched into
Nebraska City. They proceeded to the
jail and surprised and easily overcame the
guards.
So quietly and quickly did they proceed
that their action was not known until
after their object had been accomplished.
Some stood guard around the court
house square while others entered the
jail,
An effort to batter down the iron door
on the south side of the Jail failed. They
then entered the sherif's office directly
over Shellenberger's cell and forced an
opening, dragged him out in the court.
yard and a rope was fastened around his
neck.
He declared his innocence of the crime
of which he was charged and convicted,
and requested that his body be buried on
the old homestead until he was proven
innocent, when he should be removed to
the side of his dead father and buried
like other people. He never broke down
and remained nervy to the last.
He was then strung up, dying with a
curse Upon his lips as he said: "In haunt
you if | can"
The mob, which was composed chiefly
of German farmers from the vicinity Of
the murderer's home, then dispersed and
left, singing loudly a German song. The
crime for which ~Shellenberger was lynched
was one of the most atrocious and black
est in the history of the world.
The victim was Maggie Shelleuberger,
a bright child II years old.
On April %, 1886, Lee Shellenbergel
came to town and informed the coroner
and sheriff that little Maggie had com
mitted suicide. She was found at the
bottom ofthe cellar steps with two fright,
full cuts across the throat, one almost sew,
ering the neck from the body.
Shellenberger and his wife, who is step.
mother to Maggie, were arrested on sus
picion and at their trial he was convicted
of murder and sentenced to be hanged,
but secured another hearing IN h esupreme
court and his execution was put off indef'
initely.
The woman secured a change of venue
to Lancaster county and had her trial al
Lincoln several months ago, but the jury
failed to agree.
There had been several former attempt:
made to lynch Sh~ellenberger but unsuccess
fully. He is credited with several other
murders. One, of which he is very likely
guilty, was the murder of an Englishmar
named Leonard several years ago on the
river bank which has always remained 9
mystery, but suspicion always pointed
strongly to Shellenberger, though it coulC
never be proved en- him.